I meant to say, "you look beautiful," or "that dress looks really great on
you," or anything else flattering. But no. I said, "you hate dresses.
They way the smile disappeared from her face I knew that wasn't what she
had expected me to say. I tried to recover.
"But you look incredible. Really great, Abby. I mean it. I'm not just saying that. Is that the necklace I gave you? It looks really nice with. . ."
"Shut up, Carter," she laughed. I was saved.
"You ready?" I asked her. She nodded. I watched her lock her door and I had the strongest urge to wrap my arms around her and kiss her neck. I resisted.
******************************
I looked at my menu but I didn't actually see anything. I hadn't counted on this. It was awkward. Neither of us knew quite what to say.
"How are Maggie and Eric?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Not bad, I guess. They're both still on their meds and that's good. But no one will hire Eric as a pilot or even an air- traffic controller and, honestly, I don't really blame them. I wouldn't want to be on a plane with a bipolar pilot who suddenly decides he wants to die and takes the entire plane load of people with him." Abby smiled, slightly.
I smiled back. "So he's not working at all?"
"He's going to a community college in Minnesota. He says he wants to be a teacher." Abby shrugged. "We'll just have to wait to see what's gonna happen there."
We both went back to pretending to read our menus. When the waiter came to take our orders I had to quickly scan the menu. I ordered a sirloin stake and Abby ordered a pasta dish.
"I meant to ask you," she said, smiling. "Are you paying for this?"
I laughed. "Of course."
She grinned. "I shoulda got the lobster then." Suddenly it felt like nothing had ever changed. We talked easily and hardly noticed when our food came. We fell silent again in the cab on the way to the theater.
"I can't believe we're actually gonna see him," she said, breaking the silence.
I smiled. "It's pretty exciting, huh?"
She looked at me. "I really want to thank you, John. This is so incredible. No one has ever done anything like this for me."
I smiled again. It suddenly occurred to me that I had smiled more that evening then I had in the past nine months.
The cab dropped us off in front of the theatre where the words, "ROBIN WILLIAMS LIVE" were written in lights. Abby reached out and squeezed my hand.
"Oh my God!" Abby standing in front of our seats. "We're like, one, two, three, four, five, six rows from the front," she said, counting.
I nodded. "Yeah. Why the hell do you think the tickets cost so much?"
She settled into her chair. "I dunno. I guess it just didn't occur to me."
I sat down next to her. One of the things I loved about her was how she just didn't care about money. She slipped her arm through the crook of my elbow as the lights went down. She leaned over so her lips were right next to my ear and I could feel her warm breath as she whispered, "this is gonna be one hell of a show." A shiver ran down my spine and I was unable to hear or see anything for the next five minutes.
"But you look incredible. Really great, Abby. I mean it. I'm not just saying that. Is that the necklace I gave you? It looks really nice with. . ."
"Shut up, Carter," she laughed. I was saved.
"You ready?" I asked her. She nodded. I watched her lock her door and I had the strongest urge to wrap my arms around her and kiss her neck. I resisted.
******************************
I looked at my menu but I didn't actually see anything. I hadn't counted on this. It was awkward. Neither of us knew quite what to say.
"How are Maggie and Eric?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Not bad, I guess. They're both still on their meds and that's good. But no one will hire Eric as a pilot or even an air- traffic controller and, honestly, I don't really blame them. I wouldn't want to be on a plane with a bipolar pilot who suddenly decides he wants to die and takes the entire plane load of people with him." Abby smiled, slightly.
I smiled back. "So he's not working at all?"
"He's going to a community college in Minnesota. He says he wants to be a teacher." Abby shrugged. "We'll just have to wait to see what's gonna happen there."
We both went back to pretending to read our menus. When the waiter came to take our orders I had to quickly scan the menu. I ordered a sirloin stake and Abby ordered a pasta dish.
"I meant to ask you," she said, smiling. "Are you paying for this?"
I laughed. "Of course."
She grinned. "I shoulda got the lobster then." Suddenly it felt like nothing had ever changed. We talked easily and hardly noticed when our food came. We fell silent again in the cab on the way to the theater.
"I can't believe we're actually gonna see him," she said, breaking the silence.
I smiled. "It's pretty exciting, huh?"
She looked at me. "I really want to thank you, John. This is so incredible. No one has ever done anything like this for me."
I smiled again. It suddenly occurred to me that I had smiled more that evening then I had in the past nine months.
The cab dropped us off in front of the theatre where the words, "ROBIN WILLIAMS LIVE" were written in lights. Abby reached out and squeezed my hand.
"Oh my God!" Abby standing in front of our seats. "We're like, one, two, three, four, five, six rows from the front," she said, counting.
I nodded. "Yeah. Why the hell do you think the tickets cost so much?"
She settled into her chair. "I dunno. I guess it just didn't occur to me."
I sat down next to her. One of the things I loved about her was how she just didn't care about money. She slipped her arm through the crook of my elbow as the lights went down. She leaned over so her lips were right next to my ear and I could feel her warm breath as she whispered, "this is gonna be one hell of a show." A shiver ran down my spine and I was unable to hear or see anything for the next five minutes.